Apparatus for drying wood veneer.



E. LAMBERT.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING WQOD VENEER. APPLICATION man MAY 8. I916.

1,228,790. Patentedlune 5,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET f.

Fit

I V f T N [5585 S 1 N VE N TOR.

' Eric L ambert E. LAMBERT.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOD VENEER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8 1915.

lilhflfld J 11110 a, 1917.

2 SHEETVS-SHEET 2.

1 muaszsrs: Y I I [NI/EN my.

' filoL-ambel't B V I V 7 'W A TTORNEY ERIC LAMBERT, OI KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

. APPARATUS ms nnynre woon VENEER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed M21378 1916. Serial No. 96,122.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Euro LAMBERT, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Wood Veneer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,-such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 10 it appertains to make and use the same.

he invention relates to a process of, and apparatus for the rapid drying and seasoning of wood veneer and other substances, and seeks to provide a process. and apparatus that will without injury to the substance, reduce the time required for drying and seasoning veneer and other substances to a small fraction of thatwhich has heretofore been necessary. Veneer and other substances will when subjected toa hi h temperature become hard on the surface w ile the interior is soft, and the fiber of the material will separate and show checks, sometimes splitting into several pieces, either result rendering the venear or other substance worthless.

Owing to the extensive demand for veneer and like materials and the excessive time and heat required to dry and season the same by the usual method, which requiresan excessive quantity of equipment comparative to the product'treated, because of the slowness of the operation, it is essential that a more rapid rocess and apparatusbe provided that wi 1 dry and season the veneer and other substances in a short space of time and in a manner that will'draw the-moisture therefrom evenly and without surface hardening, checking or splitting.

The present invention seeks to provide a process and apparatus by which the veneer and other substance to be dried and seasoned is subjected to a continuous. and rapid flow of large quantities of properly tempered air under a partial vacuum, so that the moisture is drawn from the interior to the surface by the vacuum, the surface remaining moist until the interior is dried, the moisture bein absorbed by the air and exhausted with tie discharge thereof.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the features, manipulotion, operation, combinations and arrangements hereinafter set forth and ore ar-' ticularly pointed out in the append claims,

' the accompanying drawings illustrating an improved form of structure for accomplishing the objects of the invention.

In the drawings: a Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a kiln embodying the improved features of the apparatus and complying with the spirit of the invention, a portion of thii'inclosing wall being broken away to show the drying racks.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the kiln with the cover removed to show the interior.

Fig. 3 is a view of the air supply end of the kiln.

I 1Fig. 4 is a view of the air exit end'of the Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of one of the drying racks.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the drying racks.

The floor 1 is preferably of concrete, the side walls 2 and 3, the roof or cover 4 and the end wall 5 being preferahlj of ordinary wood structure owing to the comparatively inexpensiveness of the material and the saving of time in constructing the kiln, this material and the mechanics required for building it being plentiful where it is usually desired tolocate a kiln, the exact framing and joining of the inclosing structure can followed with equally favorable results, so long as the walls andcover are practically air tight so as to prevent the air from enterlng therethrough.

In the end wall 5 is located preferably as shown two large exhaust fans 6, each communicating with the interior of the Wall and the inclosmg structure, the fans being located nearer the floor 1 than the cover 4 in order to force the air through the kiln near the floor. This is important owing to the air being reduced in temperature about twenty degrees, Fahrenheit, as it passes between thelayers of veneer or other substance, from the entering to the exit end of the kiln, it being understood that warm air rises and that if the fans were materially raised the circulation would not be the same near the floor as near the cover. This location of the fans however operates to maintain an even circulation and produces practically the same drying and seasoning results near the floor as that resulting near the cover and the veneer is evenly dried and seasoned whether itbe near the floor 1 or near the cover 4.

Located between the walls 2 and 3, the

beingeunimportant as any usual methods I floor 1 and the cover 4, within the end 7 of the structure the steam radiator 8, the radiator forming preferably the entire inclosing wall of the end 7 of the structure, the source of steam supply being omitted owing to common and well known construction, the

pipes'of the radiator beingso vclose together atmospheric pressure, it isnot desired however to restrict the invention to this particular reduction as a lesser amount will produce results, but more slowly.

In order to space thesheets of veneer so that the circulation will be equal throughout the structure and to attain the greatest capacity in'the amount of material that can be dried and seasoned evenly in'the shortest space of time the drying racks illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 are-provided, each of which comprises the base 9 mounted on the swivel casters 10 and having projecting rigidly upwardly therefrom the standards 11, the arms 12 being pivoted to the standards at 13 and the projections 14 projecting from the free ends of the arms to space and retain them horizontally when in operative position and to hold them in raised position for the purpose of placing and securing the veneer as shown in Fig. 5, the arms having secured to both the upper and lower sides thereof the wire mesh 15 to more evenly support the veneer.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the arms 12 may be raised as shown in the upper part of Fig. 5 and successively lowered as the sheets of veneer are placed in the rack, as shown. in the lower part of Fig. 5.

The doors 16 and 17 are provided for the entrance and exit respectively of the racks which are usually filled and emptied outside the structure as a matter of convenience and inorder to attain the greatest capacity of the" kiln.

The floor 1 is higher at the end wall 5 than at the end 7 as indicated by the horizontal line 1-1 of Fig. 1 so that the trucks may be more easily moved in the direction of the radiator 8, the racks filled with the veneer being placed in the kiln through the door 16 and moved by hand power toward the radiator until the -kiln 1s filled with r ek The veneer in the rack nearest the radiatoris always dried and seasoned first owing to the air being drier and of a higher temperature nearer the radiator, the air beconi housing coinprisin ing m .'@.il10iSt as it gathers moisture from each sheet of veneer in the passage through the hiln, the action however is very rapid,

as it is found practical to pass the air" through the kiln at the speed of sixty feet per second producing a vacuum of approximatciy cight'pounds per square foot below atmospheric pressure, the 'vacuum drawing the moisture from the veneer and the hot air va irizing and absorbing it and carrying it om the kiln through the fans.

The moisture being rapidly drawn from the -\'eneer preserves the surface thereof moist until the interior thereof is dried and prevents the surface hardening commonly called case hardening, also checking and splitting of the veneer.

Whenthe veneer in the rack nearest to the radiator 8 is sufficiently dry the fans are slowed down or stopped to reduce the vacuum so that the doors can be opened and the rack nearestto the door 17 is withdrawn,

the remaining racks being moved in a body by hand power toward the radiator 8, which is easily accomplished owing to the incline of the floor 1, until the next rack occupies the space occupied by the rack just removed, after which arack containing green veneer is inserted through the door 16 and all the doors closed, the fans being returned to full speed and the drying proceeds as before.

The time required to dry and season veneer by this'process is a small fraction of that required in any kiln at the highest temperature to which the veneer can be sub jected without injury thereof, and the vacuum would only produce sweating and fail to attain the desired results were the radiator or fans reduced materially from the comparative sizes and capacities hereinbeforedescribed, the speed of the flow of the air in order to carry off the moisture bcin'g im- 'portant .as well as the temperature and vacuum.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A drying kiln comprising a rectangular shaped housing, a heating'unit forming a part of a wall thereof and provided with openings in said heating unit through which air may pass, the opposite wall of said housing provided with openings for the location of exhaust fans, and exhaust fans in said openings. v

2, A dry kiln comprising a rectangular shaped housing, a radiator located in one end of said housing forming an end way thereof and provided with openings through which air may be drawn, the opposite'end of said housing closed by an end wall, and an exhaust fan connecting with the interior of said housing through said wall.

3. A dry kiln comprising a housing, saida floor and sides and cover and end wa doors arranged in one of said. side walls, said floor and cover and side walls being continuous and free from projections 0n the interior sides thereof when said. doors are closed, a radiator exhaust fan communicating with said openmg. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my slgnature in the presence of two witnesses.

' ERIC LAMBERT. Witnesses:

REBECGA JOFFEE, MILDRED OGLE,

DISCLAIMEB.

,228,790.-Er'ic La. 5e11, Kansas Cjby, M0. Armxm'rua ron Dnymo Woon VENEER. Patent datzd June 5, T917. Disclaimer filed July 23, 1920, by the petentee.

Enters this diseleimer "To that partof the claim in saiql specification which i .ipJzhe following worde to wit:

"2. A dry kiln comprising ea rectingular shaped housing e ridiator located in one end of said housing formingjen end wayzgthoreof and m'bvideilfwith openings through which air may-be drawn. the opposite end of -said h'duai g cleeed by an end wall, and an exhaust fan connecfl'ng with the interior eeiti hdusing through said well." i

0 Gazette Aw: 10, 1920. 

